Exhilaration
by silverbranches
Summary: How Regina and Daniel went from being Lady and Stable Boy to lovers, in three instances. One-shot, possible spoilers for "Stable Boy".


**Disclaimer: ABC owns Once Upon a Time, and all the characters.**

When Regina was ten years old, her father went to town.

That wasn't an unusual occurrence. He often rode to the nearby village, and when he returned, he would always bring something back. Once it was a silver music box that played a simple yet haunting melody. Another time it was a blue riding habit, and one day he came back leading a brown mare with a white diamond on her forehead.

This time, when he returned, he brought back the strangest gift. It wasn't another horse, or a riding habit, or even a ball gown. Her father had brought back a _boy._

He walked beside her father with a pack slung over his shoulder. He was too far away for her to notice anything else about him.

"What has your father done now? Cora asked, appearing beside Regina.

Regina shrugged, even though she knew her mother detested the "unladylike" movement.

"Regina! Cora!" Henry called as he came closer. "I have managed to find us a stable boy!"

Her father's excitement was clear. He had talked for weeks of nothing else except for finding someone to care for the horses, as he couldn't do it himself.

Cora did not say anything, nor did she respond to the boy's bow. She disliked associating with people who she considered were of a lower class than her. She turned and strode back to the castle. Henry looked downhearted, and he quickly followed to placate her. Over his shoulder, he ordered, "Show him to the stables, Regina."

Following her father's directions, Regina led the stable boy to the wooden building that housed their mounts. Immediately, he went to the horses and began greeting them. The horses clustered around him, and he stroked their glossy necks. As Regina fished a sugar cube out of her pocket, she watched him. His face, which showed him to be not much older than her, lit up as the horses nuzzled him and lipped his dark brown hair.

"Where did you learn to take care of horses?" she asked while feeding her horse the sugar cube.

"My father," he answered. "He used to take care of all the village horses before…. before he died."

His voice caught, and he buried his face in a horse's neck. Regina laid a hand on his arm and gave it a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

"I'm sorry," she said. Then she removed her hand and started to leave. The sky was darkening, and her mother always expected Regina to be on time for dinner.

The next day, when Regina entered the stables for her daily ride, she could not see the stable boy anywhere.

"Stable boy!" she called.

There was a loud rustling, and in the next second, he climbed down from the loft.

"I'm sorry, Miss Regina," he yawned, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

"I want to go for a ride," she told him.

He nodded, and grabbed her saddle from the wall. His movements were sluggish as he saddled her brown mare.

Grabbing the reins, Regina muttered a quick, "Thank you." She kicked her horse in the sides and galloped out of the stables.

When the sun was high in the sky, Regina led her mare back. There she found the stable boy, looking much more awake and pouring oats into a bucket.

"Stable boy," Regina said. "Can you take care of Maura for me. Mother wants me to be on time for lunch, and I only have a few minutes."

"Of course," he replied, taking the reins from her hand.

That pattern continued for a few days. He would tend to Maura and they would trade stories of their lives. All the while, Regina continued calling him Stable Boy.

A week later, Regina realized that she still didn't know his name, and after a week of getting to know him some more, that _bothered_ her.

So as she was about to exit the stables, she turned around and asked, "Stable Boy?"

He stopped currycombing Maura and faced her.

"Yes?" he inquired.

"What's your name?"

He smiled, and answered, "Daniel. My name is Daniel."

And thus began their friendship.

* * *

When Regina was fourteen years old, she attempted bareback riding for the first time.

She was an expert rider in the saddle, and yearned for something a little more challenging.

That was why she told Daniel not to saddle Maura, and why she was racing around the grounds on a bareback horse.

Regina found this new experience exhilarating. She was so focused on the thundering of Maura's hooves and the wind whipping her face that she didn't notice the dark gray clouds forming in the sky.

The first drops of rain pelting her face surprised Regina, and she quickly halted Maura. Looking around her, she noticed that she was miles away from the castle.

Regina swore under her breath, an action that would certainly have Cora slapping the back of Regina's head if she heard. Wheeling Maura around, Regina kicked her horse into a trot and headed in the general direction of the house.

The rain fell harder, making the ground muddy and treacherous. Regna could not see more than a few feet in front of her, and she dint even know is he was still travelling in the right direction. As Maura's coat became slicker, it became more and more difficult to keep her seating. Suddenly Maura slipped on the muddy ground, and Regina found herself falling, falling to the ground.

Shooting pain shot up Regina's ankle as it twisted. She tried to get up, but collapsed when her ankle couldn't support her weight.

She gave up hope on anybody finding her in this torrential downpour. All she could do was sit on the ground, getting colder and colder by the minute. Shivering, Regina snuggled closer to the uninjured Maua, hoping that some of the mare's heat would transfer to her.

Minutes passed, or maybe it had been hours. In all that time, the rain had not lessened for a second.

Dimly, Regina heard a sound, different from the failing rain. It sounded suspiciously like the pounding of horse's hooves. Regina turned her face up and saw Daniel, riding a gray stallion.

"Regina!" he yelled. Quickly dismounting, he rushed to her side. "Are you all right?"

"My ankle," Regina mumbled, hating herself for sounding so weak. "I sprained it."

Daniel carefully carried her to his horse, from which point he quickly took her and Maura back to the stables.

Inside, Regina huddled inside the blanket he had given her. After he wrapped her ankle, she stated, "I'm never riding bareback again."

"Because you're afraid?" Daniel asked. "The only way to overcome your fear is to face it. You should get back on Mara as soon as possible, and prove to me that you can be an amazing bareback rider."

He smiled at her, a soft, encouraging smile. Regina felt the corners of her own mouth tug softly in return

When Regina went to the stables and told Daniel not to saddle Maura, he gave her that same smile, and Regina felt a tiny, completely insignificant tug on her heart.

* * *

When Regina was eighteen years old, she and her mother had an argument.

The pair had been arguing quite a lot, mainly because Regina's plans for the future and her mother's didn't exactly match up.

"What happened?" Daniel asked as she stormed into her one safe haven – the stables.

"My _mother,_" she spat. "She thinks that I should focus all my attention on marrying. Especially marrying into a higher class."

"You don't agree with her?" Daniel asked.

Regina shook her head in a vehement refusal. Grabbing a brush off the wall, she started to comb Maura as she replied, "If I ever marry, I want to marry for love. Not for power."

"If you had the choice, who would you marry?" Daniel grabbed a second brush and began working on Maura's other side.

"I don't know. Somebody kind and smart, who can make me laugh easily. I want someone who can encourage me who can do their own work instead of relying on others. If I could, I would marry you."

Daniel froze, and Regina cursed her slip – up. In seven words, she had revealed every little tug of her heart; every smile of his she kept tucked away, every feeling of love that she had ever felt for him.

"Not that…not that I would _want_ to marry you," she babbled. "I mean, that would be completely crazy. We're...we're friends, and we can't ruin our friendship, because – eep!"

Regina stopped with an undignified squeak because Daniel had put down his brush, walked over to her, and firmly covered her lips with his.

It took Regina a second to get over her shock, then another to tentatively move her lips against his.

Within seconds, the kiss had turned into something more passionate. She tangled her fingers in his hair, hoping for something, _anything_, to keep her grounded against the exhilaration coursing through her. The feeling reminded her of the first time she had ridden bareback. Only kissing Daniel was ten times better than riding. No, a hundred, a _thousand, _times better.

They broke apart only when the need for air became too great. Daniel cradled her face in his hands, his breath ghosting over her.

"One day, I will marry you, Regina," he vowed. "And nothing your mother says or does will stop our love."

That was definitely a promise she intended to hold him to in the future. But right now, there were better things to do, like being kissed by her one True Love.


End file.
